Automobile bumper and supporting means therefor



.1. ST. C. WERNIG AUTOMOBILE BUMPER AND SUPPORTING MEANS THEREFOR May 29, 1928.

Filed April 1.5: 1927 Patented May 29, 1928.

UNITED STATES JOHN ST. CLAIR WERNIG, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

AUTOMOBILE BUMPER Ann sorronrrmo mums THEREFOR.

Application filed April 15,

This invention relates to improvements in automobile bumpers and supporting means the o In one type of bumper heretofore made, tubular or rigid-bar impact members have been directly connected or bolted to the free horizontally looped ends of a horizontal supporting member in which case it is difiicult it not impossible to mount the impact member a satisfactorily elevated position, and because of the rigid connection of these free ends by the impact member a bumper is produced which While capable of satisfactorily absorbing heavy shocks is too rigid to absorb the usual light shocks frequently encountered in use. 1

In another type of bumper heretofore used the impact members have been supported in mountings at the free ends of verticallydispo-sed loops. While in this construction, the impact member is supported at the proper elevation, it is 0 on to the objection that these vertically oped members are unstable, afiord insufiicient resistance to the heavier impacts and frequently permit one end of the bumper to sag below the other end.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide in a bumper of the type specified, supporting means which will retain a rigid impact member of the tubular or bar type in true horizontal alignment; will prevent sagging, will retain or hold the bumper in properly elevated position, will provide an initial resilience suflicient to absorb light shocks satisfactorily while providing resilient resistance to greater shocks which increases rapidly in accordance with the intensity of the shock. 7,

Another object of my invention is to pro duce a mounting for tubular or solidfb'ar impact members of the rigid type, by first providing a horizontally looped member having free ends and then resiliently reintercing these free ends by a vertically looped member having free ends fastened to the free ends of the horizontal looped member, and ls av id n e ce s e g di y by mounting h ri m a m mber a j cent in an Pre rably a ove th o n thusr d 'e Another object of the invention is to uti n n the supp rting at i t pe o mpa t member elati e y riaidh r ent lp d seased resi ient o sense b rk est r 92'? e ia ,988-

ing across the chassis and having outwardlydisposed loops with free ends, combined, in its supporting function, with a vertically,- disposed holder or mounting member extending transversely and above said horizontallydisposed member and having a vertical loop extending below said horizontal looped member, thus not only providing a holder above the horizontally-disposed member but resiliently reinforcing the free end of the horizontally-disposed member.

Another object is to produce a mounting having joint horizontally and vertically looped supporting members which will be ornamental, sightly and which may be read-- ily and easily attached to the car chassisas a single unit, this preferably being accomplished by having the vertical member carried by the horizontal member.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character specified with an impact holder by which such impact member may be quickly demountable.

With these and other objects in view, the invention comprises the combination of members and arrangement of parts so combined as to co-act and cooperate with each other in the performance of the functions and the accomplishment of the results herein contemplated, and comprises in one of its adaptations the species or preferred form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which bodying my invention 1 I 1 Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2+2 of Fig.

1; and I Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken between'the impact member and the horizontal supporting member.

Referring now .to these drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, 10 indicates an impact member of an automobile bumper which, in the preferred embodiment shown, comprises 'a' round bar or tube closed at its ends and of a length adapted to extend transversely across the cha si at the ent or r e o t-an ante: m b T i pa member y e of @1 15? de red s ape o .c' nfig a n and is sur ported ab ve the free, cuter em is 11 of hen:

o lly-d scord. eap 11?; which are r i mbu omed terralty a the arre ts ends 9 a ener ting basear poni s l Fig. 1 is a plan view of a bumper emto produce the complete looped bar or member 11.

The free outer ends 11 of the loops 11 are unconnected directly with the rigid impact member, but are connected to said rigid impact member through mountings sup ported by said. horizontal looped member, thus having extending upwardly therefrom a mounting 12 for said impact member. This is my preferred form of mounting and, as illustrated, comprises segmental arcuate members 12", 12 forming a split seat for the impact member 10, said seat havingan opening at12. c The free end portions 11 of the horizontal loop are thus unconnected except through i the said mounting and the elevated impact bar 10.

Said free ends 11 are also preferably re inforced and connected to thebasebar 11 by vertically-disposed loops 13, each ofwhich is preferably formed integrally with one luniz'ontally-disposed supporting ofthe mounting members 12, 12 at its outer end13 and has its inner endlS supported by the connecting base-bar portion of the member 11. It will thus be seen thatthe otherwise free ends 11 ofthe horizontal member are joined or connected to the base bar portion.

i I thus provide sufficient rigidity to avoid ex cessive downward pressure on such free ends which would normally cause a torsional strain thereon and furthermore provide ver tical reinforcing and supporting loops for the said free ends. This vcrticalloop combined with the horizontal looped member will avoid the excessive rigidity which would occur by a direct connection of the rigid impact member with the free cndsof the horizontal loop, but on the contrary, takes advantage of the normal resilience of i such free ends andv combines the same, at an intermediate portion, with what in effect comprisesanother free-end vertically-looped mounting member, thus providing a support which will have great initial'resiliencc so as to absorb or take up shocks of light intensity in a more effective manner than would be the case if the rigid imymct member were directly connected to the horizontally-looped member, but will, possess greater rigidity than if said impact member were supported alone by the vertically-looped member. This combination of the vertical supporting loop and the horizontal supporting loop will, therefore, produce a mutually reinforced re silient supporting structure which will prevent the sagging which usually accompanies the use of either one of these two elements, and at the same time will enable advantage to be taken of the reinforcing and shock resisting qualities of the horizontal looped member as well as the facility of mounting or attaching of the bumper to the chassis, vhile coupling the'same with "adesirable vertically-disposed looped mounting element for the impact member which extends above and below the plane of the horizontal member to properly elevate said impact member and to provide a leverage action about said vhorizontal free ends during the initial 111- I preferably provide an impact mounting havinga. split seat composed of arcuate members which will greatly facilitate the mounting and demounting of the impact member. i

The carrying or suspension of the vertically-looped member, by the horizontally looped member, the opposite loops of which are preferably formed integrally as aforesaid with the attaching or connecting bar, also enables a facile connection of the bumpor with the chassis of the car by the usual simple bracket and avoids the more difficult connection of such vertical loops to the top of the frame ends or horns of the automobile chassis, and permits the brackets to be fastened through the sides of such in the usual manner. 1

In the preferred embodiment of my invention shown, the mounting members 12, 12 of the mounting 12 are, fastened to the free ends 11 of the horizontal supporting member bya bolt 14: which passes through at the outer end 11 and members 12, 12". The member 12 is provided with an elongated slot 12 through which the bolt passes so as to allow for the variations in the parts.

The connection of the end 13 ofthe vertical loop 13 with the attaching or base-bar 11 and with the transverse portion 15 of the bracket 15 is accomplished by a single bolt 17 which also passes through an elongated hole 13 fin the end 1S" of theloop 13,through a hole 11 in the bar 11 andalso through hole 15 in said transverse portion 15" of the brachet'lf. conventional type has, as shown. a long tudinally eidending portion 15' which is fastened at the sides of the frame endsor horns Eby bolts 16,16. V

Having describedmy invention, 1 claim 5 A bumper embodying an impact.nienr berand supporting elements for each end of said impact members, eachuenibodying' a horizontallyTdisposed loop having a free end, and a mounting member extending verQ tically above said horizontally-disposedloop at substantially right" angles thereto for mountingsaidimpact bar. 2. A bumper embodying an impact mem her and supporting elements for each end of said impact members, each embodyiinga' frame ends The bracket 15 which isof horizontally-disposed loop having a free end, and a mounting member eXtend-ing ver tically above said horizon-tally-disposed loop at substantially right angles thereto for mounting said impact bar, said impactmounting member comprising a pair of members cooperating to form a split mounting-sea-t, one of said pair being provided with a major portion of said split mountingseat and the other having a minor portion of said seat.

3. An automobile bumper embodying a rigid impact member and a plurality of supporting elements at each end of said impact member, each embodying a horizontal loop provided with a free end and a vertical loop also having a free end and provided with an impact-member mounting at said free end, said two members being connected. together adjacent to said mounting.

4. An automobile bumper embodying a rigid impact member and a plurality of sup porting elements at each end of said impact n'iember, one of said supporting elements com 'n'isinga horizontally-disposed loop connected at its inner end with the automobile chassis and free at its outer end and the other supporting element comprising a vertically-disposed looped member connected with the free end of said horizontally-disposed loop, said supporting element also being provided with an impact-member mounting adjacent to the free end of said horizontally disposed loop.

5.13.11 automobile bumper embodying a rigid impact member and a plurality of supporting elements at each end of said impact member. one of said supporting elements comprising a horizontally-disposed loop con nected at its inner end with the automobile chassis and free at its outer end and the other supportii'ig element comprising a vertically-disposed looped member connected at its inner end to the inner end of the horizontally-disposed loop and at its outer end connected with the free end of said horizontally-disposed loop, said supporting element also being provided with an impact-member mounting adjacent to the free end of said horizontally-disposed loop.

6. An automobile bumper embodying a rigid impact member and a plurality of supporting elements at each end of said impact member, one of said supporting elements comprising a horizontallydisposed loop connected at its inner end with the automobile chassis and free at its outer end and the other supporting element comprising a vertically-disposed looped member connected with the free end of said horizontally-disposed loop, said supporting elen'ient being provided with an impact-member mounting adjacent to the free end of said horizontallydisposed loop, and said vertically-disposed loop having an integral portion forming a part of said mounting seat forthe impact member.

7. An automobile bumper embodying a rigid impact member and a plurality of supporting elements at each end of said impact n'rember, one of said supporting elements comprising a l-iorizontally-disposed loop connected at its inner end with the automobile chassis and free at its outer end and the other supporting element comprising a vertic-ally -disposed looped member connected with the free end of said horizontally-disposed loop, said mounting member being provided with an impact-member mounting adjacent to the free end of said horizontallydisposed loop, and said vertically-disposed loop having an integral portion forming a part of said mounting seat for the impact member, said mounting seat being composed of a pair of cooperating members each of which members is provided with a portion of a split mounting seat for the impact memher.

8. An automobile bumper embodying a rigid impact member and a plurality of supporting elements at each end of said impact member, one of said supporting elements comprising a horizontally-disposed loop connected at its inner end with the automobile chassis and tree at its outer end and the other supporting element comprising a vertically-disposed looped member connected with thei ree end of said horizontally-disposed loop, said supporting element being provided with an impact-member mounting l adjacent to the free end of said horizontallydisposed loop, and said vertically-disposed loop having an integral portion forming a part of said mounting seat for the impact member, said mounting seat being composed of a pair of cooperating members, one of which members is provided with a major portion of a split mounting seat for the in'ipact member and the other is formed to provide a minor portion of said seat.

9. An automobile bumper embodying a rigid impact member and a plurality of supporting elements at each end of said impact member, one of said supporting elements con'iprising a horizontally-disposed 100p connected at its inner end with the automobile chassis and tree at its outer end and the other supporting element comprising a vertically-disposed looped member connected with the free end of said horizontally-disposed loop, said mounting member being provided with an impact-member mounting adjacent to the free end of said horizontallydisposed loop, and said vertically-disposed loop having an integral portion forming a part of said mounting seat for the impact member, said mounting seat being composed of a pair-of cooperating members, one of which members is provided with a major portion of a split mounting seat for the imfastening means arranged intermediate the ends of said seat-forming member and at said free ends of the horizontal loop to 10 clamp said impact member between the splitseat portions of said seat-forming members. In Witness whereof, I have signed my name to the foregoing specification.

JOHN ST. CLAIR WERNIG. 

